Once dotted with dilapidated metal sheds, silos, and a cotton gin dating to 1914, historic Buda Mill & Grain Co. in the Texas Hill Country is finding new life as a multifaceted, community-focused destination. Firmly entrenched in Buda’s history for over 100 years, the redeveloped site now offers more than 27,000 square feet of retail, restaurants, and community-oriented spaces that bring locals and visitors together within a vibrant setting. The complex is composed of five structures—a mix of old and new—including a renovated 105-year-old cotton gin building, a large, renovated steel equipment shed, a historic elevated grain augur, four vintage silos, and three new buildings. The challenge was how to preserve the bones of what was there while making the existing structures and new facilities a cohesive complex.
Designed by Cushing Terrell
The largest of the buildings—a 6,000-square-foot, steel-framed equipment barn nicknamed Big’un—measures roughly 120 feet long by 60 feet wide. Taking advantage of the simple, modular elegance of its structural system, the walls of the first bay were removed to create a Texas-sized covered porch that faces Main Street. A glass wall delicately defines the back of the first bay to fully enclose the remainder of the building, which is slated for a future retail space, restaurant, and brewery. The thinly detailed glass wall